Frant
| area_total_km2 = 31.9 | population = 1,367 | population_ref = (2007) | population_density= | os_grid_reference=TQ590354 | latitude=51.10 | longitude=0.27 | post_town=TUNBRIDGE WELLS | postcode_area=TN | postcode_district=TN3 | dial_code=01892 | constituency_westminster=Wealden | london_distance= NNW | shire_district=Wealden | shire_county=East Sussex | website=http://www.frant.info/ }} Frant is a village and civil parish in the Wealden District of East Sussex, England. It is located on the Kentish border, about five miles (8 km) south of Tunbridge Wells. The settlements of Bells Yew Green and Eridge are both located within the parish. When the Wealden iron industry was at its height, much of the village was owned by ironmasters. Smuggling occurred here in the 17th and 18th centuries; and one of the turnpike roads (now the A267) came through here at that time.Frant history Frant church is dedicated to St Alban;St Albans church and there is a church school.Frant CE Primary School There are three public houses in the parish: The Abergavenny Arms on the A267 in Frant; and The George Inn in the High Street with The Brecknock Arms at Bells Yew Green. History Frant is an ancient village, and although it was not mentioned in the Domesday Book, a settlement certainly predates the Norman Conquest; indeed, excavations in 1929 by S. E. Winbolt uncovered pottery fragments and ironworkings that indicated the presence of a settlement dating back to 100 BC. There is also evidence that a pre-Norman road, with military posts, ran from Frant to Crowborough. The first mention of an area within the parish was in 742, when the Saxon chief Æðelberht granted the manor of Ridrefelde (Rotherfield) and Ramslye to the Abbey of St Denis in France; though part of Tunbridge Wells today, Ramslye was at the time part of the parish of Frant. The village fell under the rape of Pevensey and the hundred of Rotherfield. Toponymy From the 12th century onwards Frant appears in charters and records, in as diverse spellings as Fernet, Fernthe, Fernth, Ferthe, Ferring, Vernthe, Franthe, Fraunte, Feruthe, Frenthe and Fant; these variations notwithstanding, the etymology of the name has its roots in the Anglo-Saxon meaning "place of the fern" or "place of the bracken", a reflection of the verdant countryside around the settlement. Governance Frant is part of Wealden District Council and, along with Withyham, makes up one of the District's 35 wards. The ward contributes two of the District's 55 Councillors. The Member of Parliament for Wealden is the Conservative Charles Hendry. He was elected in 2005 with a majority of 15,921. Geography Frant is located at , just inside the border of East Sussex with Kent, about south of Tunbridge Wells and south of London. The village is situated at the northern edge of the High Weald, a ridge of hard sandstone that runs across southern England from Hampshire along the borders of Surrey, West Sussex, East Sussex and Kent. The River Teise, a tributary of the Medway, runs through the parish. There are a number of Sites of Special Scientific Interest within the parish. Eridge Park is a site of biological interest, consisting of park and ancient woodland, hosting a wide variety of flora and fauna. The site encloses the National Trust reserve known as Nap Wood. Eridge Green is an area of ancient woodland with outcrops of sandstone that hosts some unusual fauna. Another site is High Rocks, an area of geological interest due to the weathering patterns of the local sandstone. Demography The population of Frant rose steadily from just under 1,100 in 1801 to a peak in 1891 of around 3,500. The records show a marked drop to 1,692 in 1901, but this is due to the transfer of the Broadwater Down parish to Tunbridge Wells that took place in 1894. Over the course of the 20th century the number of people living in the parish has declined slowly, and a 2007 estimate by East Sussex County Council put the population of Frant at 1,367. |} Transport Frant is situated on the A267, which runs south from Tunbridge Wells to Hailsham. The B2099, which branches off the A267 just south of the village, runs south east to Wadhurst. Frant railway station, actually located at Bells Yew Green, is on Southeastern's Hastings Line. Around 2-3 trains per hour each way. References * External links Category:Local government in East Sussex Category:Villages in East Sussex Category:Wealden